Free Captive of Gor by John Norman Page A

south, Schendi
    and Bazi. And, from Lydius, of course, goods of many sorts, though primarily
    rough goods, such things as tools, crude metal and cloth, brought on barges,
    towed by tharlarion treading on log roads, following the river, are brought to
    Laura, for sale and distribution inland. The Laurius is a winding, long, gently,
    slow river. It does not have the breadth and current which are the terrors of
    the titanic Vosk farther to the south, well below Ko-ro-ba, though well above
    Ar, (pg. 60) which is said to be the greatest city of all known Go. The Laurius,
    like the Vosk, flows in a generally westernly direction, though the Laurius
    inclines more to the southwest then the great Vosk.
    Considering the nature of the good commonly found in Laura, rough goods for the
    most part, one might have supposed it strange that Targo was bound for that
    city. It was not strange, however, for it was spring, and spring is the great
    season for slave raids. Indeed, the preceding fall, at the fair of Se’Kara, near
    the Sardar Mountains, he had contracted with a marauder, Haakon of Skjern, for
    one hundred northern beauties, to be taken from the villages, upward even to the
    edges of Torvaldsland. It was to collect this merchandise that Targo was
    venturing to Laura. He had already, at the fair, paid Haakon a deposit on this
    purchase, in the amount of fifty gold pieces. The balance of one hundred and
    fifty gold pieces would be due when the consignment was delivered. Two gold
    pieces is a high price for a raw girl, delivered in Laura, but, if the same girl
    can be brought safely to a large market city, she will probably bring five or
    more, even if untrained. Further, in offering as much as two gold pieces in
    Laura, Targo assured himself of first pick of Haakon’s choicest captures. Beyond
    this, Targo had speculated that since no city had recently fallen, and the house
    of Cernus had been destroyed in Ar, one of the great slave houses, that the
    market would be high this spring. Moreover, it was his intention to have his
    girls receive some training, probably in the pens of Ko-ro-ba, before taking
    them southeast to Ar. Unfortunately for Targo, village girls are not of high
    caste. On the other hand, if worth a good deal less, they are much more easily
    acquired than a high-caste free woman. When I was taken by Targo, he had only
    one high-cast girl on his chain, the tall girl, Inge, who was of the scribes.
    Ute, who had been harnessed next to me, had been of the leather workers. A
    slave, of course, in one sense, has no caste. In being enslaved, she is robbed
    of caste, as well as of her name. She belongs to her master in all respects, as
    an animal. He may call her what he wishes, and (pg. 61) do with her what he
    pleases. It seems not unlikely that one of Targo’s village girls, if trained and
    brought to Ar, might net him from ten to fifteen, perhaps even twenty, gold
    pieces. His investment, in some respects an excellent one, was, however, not
    without its risks. It is not always easy to bring a beautiful girl to the market
    of Ar, where the highest prices are traditionally paid. It is not that the girl
    is likely to escape, for slavers seldom lose prisoners. It is rather that she
    may be taken from you. The female slave is prize booty.
    Before Targo had acquired me, he had been making his way northward from Ko-ro-ba
    to Laura. Indeed, he had come all the way from the vicinity of Ar, buying and
    selling girls at various cities. He had purchased Inge, Ute, and Lana, whom I
    hated, in Ko-ro-ba. Lana was our leader. We feared her. She was the strongest.
    She was also the most beautiful, submissive, ingratiating and docile with the
    men, she was imperious with us. As it is said, masters do not much interfere in
    the squabbles of slaves. She would have been severely beaten ,of course, if she
    had disfigured us, injured us, or in any way lowered our value. But, beyond
    this, she might bully us, or beat us, as much as she pleased.